Mixed fortunes

Simon Vevers
Wednesday, September 10, 2003

While some out-of-school clubs have never needed to raise funds, others are struggling to survive. Simon Vevers looks at why funding arrangements mean some clubs face closure and how this will affect future expansion There were a few hundred after-school clubs in the late 1980s but dramatic expansion has resulted in the numbers topping 10,000 and continuing to climb. A target of 20,000 clubs by 2010 is reachable, given the necessary political will and finance, according to a report from the Kids' Club Network (KCN) and HSBC Bank.